Abstract
This Independent Study explores United States’ representations of mestizas and mixed-race people in theatre and how they relate to historical contexts of racism, identity, and resistance. It investigates how representations of the mestiza onstage transform negative conceptualizations of mixed-race people imposed by society. By connecting my research of representations onstage to that of negative societal images of mixed-race peoples, I explore how the messages I heard as a child in relation to where I grew up and my own cultural background, heritage, and family influenced the way I self-identify and how I viewed myself in the past versus presently. I research how Latinx playwrights and other theatre makers create shows and how they wrote their characters and storylines to highlight Latinx experiences. I additionally synthesize articles from a variety of different fields, including literature, communication, and gender studies along with discussions of the borderlands in relation to mixed race individuals, defining terms such as mestizaje, mestizo/a, and mestiza consciousness, a term heavily utilized by scholar Gloria Anzaldua. This research culminates in a written thesis and a solo performance.
Advisor
Noriega, Jimmy
Second Advisor
Bostdorff, Denise
Department
Theatre and Dance; Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Ascencio, Teresa Isabel, "The Importance of Mixed-Race Mestiza Representation On and Off Stage: An Autoethnographic Approach" (2023). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 10594.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/10594
Disciplines
Acting | Other Theatre and Performance Studies | Performance Studies | Playwriting | Theatre and Performance Studies
Publication Date
2023
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2023 Teresa Isabel Ascencio